


Beyond the Written Line

by Paddot_16



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Also they may not sound British, Angst, Canonical Character Death, I am gonna try my best to make this a happy ending, I've had this going on in my head for years, Multi, My first fic, Not A Fix-It, Sirius Still Dies, Tonks still dies, Whump, all the deaths are canonical, but that's cause im from America, fred and OC are besties, fred still dies, idk how to tag, idk yet, im gonna add tags as i go, lol sorry, my friend bullied me into publishing this, my guess is as good as yours for what happens next, remus still dies, sorry - Freeform, these tags are so chaotic im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27099196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paddot_16/pseuds/Paddot_16
Summary: So, what if Sirius had a kid with Marlene before he figured out he was in love with Remus and they gave the kid up for adoption and she grew up and lived her life throughout the Harry Potter story. This is that. The story of Dahlia Taylor-McKinnon-Lupin-Black and how her life goes throughout the books and beyond.The story will be better than this I just suck at summaries
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Charlie Weasley/Original Character(s), Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Fred Weasley & Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 5





	Beyond the Written Line

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a while and I've been finally convinced to write it out and share it.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched— they must be felt with the heart”— Helen Keller

Marlene was worried. She hadn’t talked to Sirius for a couple of weeks, not since before she knew about the baby. But she knows that he has to know, it’s the right thing to do. Loud chatter makes her head turn as she sees people coming down the boy's dormitory. Hoping it wasn’t him, while at the same time dreading waiting any longer. Turns out she didn’t. As the two boys reached the common room, she mustered up her Gryffindor courage and called out to him.

“Sirius?” Her voice quivering just a little, as he turns. “Can we talk?” 

He looked at her strangely and nodded, letting go of Remus’ hand and walked over. 

“What’s up?” He looks confused. Which is fair, this is probably incredibly out of the blue for him. 

“I…” Marlene hesitated, but decided to just get it over with, “You know how we had… sex?”

“Uh Yeah, I remember” he was looking extremely confused with where this might be going.

“Well, uh, I’m pregnant” Marlene shrugs, really hoping that she hadn’t been to blunt  
.  
“Haha, that’s funny, Marlene,” he says breathily.

Marlene sighs deep and snaps, “I’m not kidding around Sirius. I’m pregnant and you’re the only one I’ve had sex with that fits the date”.

Sirius collapses onto the chair in the corner they are standing in, “You’re serious? You’re actually pregnant?”

The fact that he hadn’t made a joke about his name, that’s when she knew he believed her. She sighed and sat down next to him

“What’re you going to do with it?” He asked.

Marlene didn’t know and all she could do was shrug her shoulders and go “I don’t know yet, I … I just figured you have the right to know. I mean, technically they’re part you” 

Sirius shook his head, “Marlene, this is your body, whatever you decide to do, I will support you”

“I… thank you, Sirius. All I know right now is that I don’t want this child growing up the way we are, always scared of who’s going to die next. But I also don’t want to get rid of it. I’ve already told my mom as well, I’m just waiting for her to owl me back.” 

“Of course, Mar.” Sirius hesitates and scans the room. “Do you want to keep this a secret or can I tell my friends?”

Marlene bits her lip as she thinks about what she’d be asking him to do if she asked him to keep it a secret. “No”, she decided “you can tell your friends, but nobody else. Please”

She felt a little silly, but she wanted to keep what little bit of reputation she had.

“Thank you Mar, I guess I’ll talk to you later then,” Sirius says as he pushes himself out of the chair.

“Yeah, I’ll keep you updated, definitely”

Marlene watched as Sirius left her at the corner and walk back to Remus who had been joined by James while they were talking and saw them talk to each other. She could only guess what he might be saying.

———————————————————————

Sirius was having a hard time processing what had just happened. He was going to be a dad, no matter what Marlene decided, he did this. He could feel his breath start coming out in shorter breaths, but he walked back to his boyfriend without thinking about it

“What was that about Sirius?” He could hear his boyfriend ask, but he still couldn’t process. 

“Sirius? Are you alright” He couldn’t tell who that was, but he automatically responded.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine” but even he didn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth so he didn’t think that whoever was there would either. 

“Alright Padfoot, you’re not alright,” Sirius still couldn’t figure out who was talking, “why don’t we take you somewhere and you can tell us what’s going on” James! It was James talking, that made sense. Ok, you trust James, do what he says, Sirius.

He nodded his head to show he understood that they were moving, but he didn’t think he would be able to do much more than that. He felt his feet move as he was pulled along by his best friends and before long they were in an empty classroom instead of a public area.

“Siri, can you calm down for me?” He heard his boyfriend talk and he wanted to, he just didn’t know how. 

“Deep breaths, it’s alright. Whatever it is we’re here for you” James nodding along to what Remus was saying.

It took a while, but eventually, Sirius calmed down and came back to his senses and as soon as he did, he felt their questioning, but concerned gazes. Realizing that he was going to have to tell them what happened, he blurted it out.

“Marlene’s pregnant” he whispered while looking at his hands, “It’s mine”.

Nothing, nobody said anything but Sirius was too scared to look up, but he couldn’t handle the silence so he kept talking.

“Rem, I promise this was before we got together. I don’t even know how this happened. I’m always careful. Merlin’s balls what’ve I done. I can’t—“

“Sirius—“ 

“—believe this. Oh no what’re we going to do—“  
“Sirius!”

He finally looks up and realizes that neither of his friends are upset. And as soon as he realizes that his shoulders drop as the tension disappears as soon as he realizes that nobody is upset with him. He doesn’t have to be afraid. 

“Hey, we both know you would never cheat on Moony, Pads, c’mon” Sirius chuckles as James’ statement should really have been obvious. 

“And” Remus adds, “it’s alright, things happen, it’s life. Neither of us are upset Pads, and you shouldn’t be either alright” Remus is firm in his response but his eyes hold nothing but empathy and care for the boy in front of him. 

“Do you know what—“ 

Sirius cut off his boyfriend before he could finish saying “Marlene doesn’t want to raise a baby in the world we are living in right now, and I agree. Not knowing who’s going to come back after a break is terrifying, but she doesn’t know what she’s going to do yet.”

Remus hums along to what Sirius is saying and when Sirius finishes talking, Remus looks up at James and recognizes the fact that their best friend had come to the same conclusion he had. He took his boyfriend’s hands in his own and got him to look him in the face before he said, “We will support you both no matter what you do” 

Sirius has gone slack-jawed as he takes in just how lucky he is that he met these people so early in his life, that he had found his family without even meaning to. 

“Thank you, both of you” Sirius still can’t believe these people genuinely care sometimes, “also,” he adds sheepishly “Marlene doesn’t want us telling anybody and I already promised her we wouldn’t so can we please keep this between us?” 

Both boys nodded their head giving him many affirmations that they would absolutely keep this secret, and Sirius felt comfortable again. As the group of three left the room to go get whatever breakfast was left, they all believed that nothing could ever come between them.

————————————————————————

The last breakfast at Hogwarts before the students get on the train was a very eventful one. Some seventh years decided that charming all the food as it appeared so that it would all float was a good parting gift. The Ravenclaw fifth years actually looked like people instead of zombies summoned from their graves. But most noticeably, was Sirius Black being dragged away from the Gryffindor table by Marlene McKinnon. 

“Ya know, that dragging me away from the great hall is going to create a bit of a stir right?” Sirius joked as he was lead to an alcove tucked away from passing glances.

Marlene just glared at him and he shut up real fast as she started talking “I decided what I’m going to do” she looked nervous, but Sirius had all of his attention on her and what her decision might be. “I decided that I’m going to give the kid up to a muggle adoption place. My mom describes it as a place where children born into rough situations can go and be placed with better families” 

“Ok, do you know when they’re gonna be … ya know” Sirius hesitates

“Born?” Marlene finished for him as he nods bashfully. “Madam Pomfrey said it would probably be around early September, but from now on I’m going to a muggle doctor so it’s easier for it to be placed”

Sirius didn’t really know what to say to that but he decides that more questions are probably the right way to go, “soooo, do you want me to come with you, or do you want me to leave you alone?”

Marlene takes a second before answering as she contemplates what she wants, but she remembers why she’s giving the baby up in the first place and decides that Sirius should be able to have a part in this if he wants. 

“That’s up to you,” she says, “if you want to join me you are welcome to, if not then that’s fine too. I won’t hold it against you”

“NO,” he accidentally shouts, bringing his voice down to a quieter level he continues“I want to be there with you”

She nods and whispers “ok” and then leaves knowing that she should definitely go catch one of the flying entrees before having to get on a train for hours to get back home.

Sirius leaves a little after her and starts heading back to the Great Hall before he turns around and instead heads toward his dormitory, intent on staying there until he had to leave to get on the train. Which is exactly what happened. 

—————————————————————————

As soon as Sirius finds his friends he realizes that Peter is already asleep, curled up against the window, but both Remus and James look like they are waiting for him to get there. 

“What’s her plan?” Is out of James’ mouth before the door to the compartment is even closed, and he’s quickly elbowed by Remus who whispers “tact, c’mon James”, but Sirius doesn’t mind the quick segue at all.

“She decided that she’s giving the baby to a muggle adopting place, so that way the kid can live a peaceful life”

“Oh, an adoption agency” Sirius guesses this was Remus’ clever way of correcting him without actually correcting him “that’s good right?” 

“I guess so” Sirius responds, “I don’t really know what I was expecting to be honest, but I guess this is the best thing for the kid”

James and Remus nod along as Sirius sits down next to Remus and across from James, as he suddenly grows tired, Peter’s idea for the train ride is looking more appealing by the minute. He decides that’s what he’s going to do and he settles his head on Remus’ shoulder and falls asleep within minutes of Remus getting settled with a book, not even recognizing that James had left the compartment.

—————————————————————————

After Sirius and James say goodbye to Remus and Peter, go with James’ Parents to his house, fill them both in on everything going on, on the way there, they finally get to the Potter’s house at the tail end of the conversation.

“Sirius” Euphemia says, “we are so proud of you for being so responsible about this and we agree that it’s obviously not the most ideal situation.”

“But” her husband Florence cuts in, “you’re just as much our son as James is and we will support you on whatever decision you both make.” Sirius thought he was done, but he saw the twinkle in his eye light up as he added: “Just as long as it’s no more children until you’re out of school, alright?” And the entire car lit up with laughter, which is just what they needed after a long talk.

As the family heads inside, Euphemia nudges Sirius to the side and tells him “If you are going to be there for Marlene, then I’m going to be there for you” Sirius tries to tell her she doesn’t have to, but before he gets any of his words out she cuts him off “and no buts, I want to be there for you Sirius. Let me, please”

Sirius felt himself give in and nodded his head, his throat too swelled up to say anything, not used to the maternal love exhibited in that single statement.

——————————————————————————

Marlene sends him an owl with a location and a date, and it’s immediately posted on the wall as a reminder and when the day rolls around, both Mrs. Potter and Sirius were up and ready to go just in time. 

When they got there they found Marlene and her mom, who led them inside the clinic. The doctor greeted them all and immediately led them back. 

“Hi, everybody, My name is Dr. Mendleson, I’ll be your doctor throughout this experience, now why don’t we check and see how far along you are hm” 

The doctor was a shorter woman who had a warm feeling around her that exuded life with light brown hair and caramel eyes that lit up whenever she talked. Sirius didn’t know why, but he felt comfortable around her. 

“Alright, it looks like you’re able to tell what sex your baby is and have pictures if you want. Would you like to know the gender?” She asks.

Marlene hesitated at first, but then she nodded. Sirius couldn’t help but agree with her.

“Let’s see here, and voila, here they are” she looks excited, “It’s a girl! Congratulations!”

Marlene gasped and Sirius felt himself fall back into Mrs. Potter’s arms, but then quickly righted himself. 

“Can, can we see?” Marlene asked timidly. 

“Of course, darling. Let me just pull it up… and here ya go. This is your daughter”

Sirius looked at Marlene and they both knew they were still on the same page, and Marlene spoke up, “um… doc, what about what we talked about”

“Oh, do you still want to give the baby up for adoption?” She sounded kind of sad, but at the same time reassuring, like it wasn’t their fault that the Universe gave them a child so young. “That’s perfectly acceptable, I’ll just note it down and then after you give birth we will make sure she is well taken care of”. 

Both Marlene and Sirius thanked the doctor and before long they were on their way back home. 

——————————————————————————

As summer continues the marauders find themselves hanging out with Lily and Marlene more than usual, but nobody had a problem with it. In fact, they enjoyed each other’s company.

Sirius and Marlene kept going to doctor’s appointments and seeing their little girl grow.

In fact, things were so peaceful that the group almost forget there was a war going on. Almost.

The teenagers found themselves remembering one hot July night when the Daily Prophet had been delivered with terrible news. The Prewett brothers were dead. Nobody knew the Prewett brothers personally, but they were popular and could always make people laugh when they needed it most. 

When Marlene heard the news it quenched any doubt she was having about giving up her baby. She would not let her daughter have to worry about a life like this. Her daughter deserved better. 

———————————————————————————

With August, came their letters and the revelation that James was going to be Head Boy and Lily Head Girl. Nobody was more surprised than the recipients themselves. Well, mostly James. Lily wasn’t all that surprised. As the days passed and they got closer and closer to Marlene’s due date, She knew she had to make a decision. She decided she was going to tell them that night.

She met up with Lily first before going with her to meet up with the boys. Peter hadn’t been able to come that night, he had to help his mom with something. It was their last day of summer before going back to school. She listened as everyone joked around trying to forget a little about what was going on out there. This was as good a time as any, she decided, and it was also her last chance to say something. 

“I’m not going back tomorrow” her words immediately quieted everyone, but not for long. There was a little bit of ruckus, but it died down quickly. 

“Why?” Lily asked.

“I really don’t want people to know Lils and I’m so close to my due date. So, I’m just going to come late this year. Dumbledore and McGonagall already know, as well as Pomfrey” Marlene slumped down next to the bonfire and watched the sparks fly up instead of her friend's faces “It really shouldn’t be that long”

“Ok” Lily sighed relieved, “I was worried you weren’t coming back at all. We’ll miss you Mar, but of course, we support you we always have. Right boys?”

“Yep”

“Absolutely”

“Of course, why wouldn’t we?”

Marlene’s face slid into a smile, she didn’t know why she had been so worried. This group wouldn’t turn their backs on her. She knew that for certain. 

——————————————————————————

It had only been 5 days back at Hogwarts when Sirius was woken by a house-elf beckoning him to follow. As he did he realized he was being led towards the infirmary, and it clicked. As soon as he got there Madam Pomfrey was waiting with a portkey which would take him right to Mrs. Potter who was waiting for him. 

Sirius quickly grabbed it and felt the pull at his naval, as he was transported across England, landing in an alleyway next to a muggle hospital right next to Mrs. Potter. Just as predicted.

“Hurry, Sirius. Marlene’s just about done I think.” Sirius follows her as she weaves through the hospital and all of its long hallways and confusing floors. Until he can hear a baby cry. Wait he thinks, could it be. It is. That’s his daughter. With the super loud lungs, making patrons wince as they walk by, but it doesn’t stop him. 

“Mar…” he breathes as he walks into the room, “Is that her?”

Marlene looks up and nods, exhausted after the whole ordeal. “They already checked her, she’s healthy”.

Sirius nods and asks a question that he’d been too scared to ask before “do, … do we get to name her?” 

Marlene looks at him and shrugs, “why not, I guess they could always change it, but that way she has something from us. Go ahead, I know your family keeps to a theme”

Sirius shakes his head, “no, this kid isn’t getting anywhere near my family. She doesn’t need a star name.” He thinks, but all he can think about is Mrs. Potter’s flower garden when it comes to him. “What about Dahlia? Like the flower? It’s beautiful”

“Dahlia” Marlene breathes as she holds her daughter for what will be the last time, even though she doesn’t know it yet, “I love it. Be safe. Be strong, my flower” Marlene hands her over to Sirius and he looks down at this little being who already holds half of his heart. When the attendant walks in to take care of her and bring her to the room of newborns, which is when the adoption agency would take over. 

Sirius kisses her forehead and tells her “always be yourself, my flower. Never hide your light” then swallows hard and hands her over to the attendant who walks away with a part of their hearts, but there’s nothing they can do.

They don’t want to raise a child during a war, but from now on they won’t be able to forget she’s out there, in this world. 

Sirius is back at Hogwarts that night

—————————————————————————

Marlene takes a little bit longer, but she’s back at Hogwarts the following week. Overall, only missing about a week and a half. Occasionally she would get sad, but with the help of Lily and her newfound friends in the marauders, she’s able to bounce back. She notices Sirius gets sad sometimes too, but she also notices that Remus will be more tactile with him when he gets like that. Marlene’s glad he has somebody to take care of him. As the year goes on they cope, they feel a little better every day, but they don’t forget their flower. 

Perhaps one day that might even be able to see her bloom.

**Author's Note:**

> I know they are handling this really maturely, and it may not work right, but I believe that every character has a depth to them and nobody really knows much about the marauder era anyway. Also, I know nothing about how doctors deal with pregnancies so I'm gonna gloss over that as much as I can, but if anything's wrong I'm sorry. This is my first fic and kudos and comments will be greatly appreciated.


End file.
